Writer

• Q What album would you bring to a desert island with you?
• A Well seeing as you can't actually play the album while on the desert island, it'd have to be something with a really nice artwork that you can stare at for hours. Maybe Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. Aside from being pleasing to look at, the image is a sound wave of the first recorded pulsar, so then you start thinking about space and stuff and next thing you know you've been staring at this picture for five hours and that's a great way to kill an afternoon.
Q The first concert you ever went to?
A Ash at the garage in London. It was their 20th anniversary special, they played a hit-laden set, and featured guests galore. Charlotte Hatherley, half of Bloc Party, and that guy from Weezer all joined in throughout the night in the ultimate celebration of a great band.
Q Single most embarrassing album you ever bought?
A Plain White T's - Every Second Counts. My Dad warned me it would suck. He wasn't wrong. Even the cover should have been a warning. You know those frogs that have bright colours that mean 'dont eat me, i taste bad?' Well this album art has this mopey looking fella with a big nose that says 'don't listen to me.' Sure Hey There Delilah is nice. And that other minor hit they had is ok. But God, what cheesy, vomit-inducing lyrics. And what a horrible whiney voice. I may have enjoyed it at one time perhaps, but now it remains hidden at the back of some obscure drawer along with that failed report card, an essay about space-fish, and other regrettable detritus from my childhood.
Q If you could rob the vocal chords of any singer, who would it be?
A Thom Yorke - Radiohead. Close call between Thom and Matt Bellamy from Muse, but Thom can do low as well as high, so he wins out. He's got such a clear, pure tone and of course a range wider than the grand canyon. Voice like that you wouldn't talk to anyone, you'd just sing all the time.
Q What song is your specialty at karaoke?
A Radiohead - Creep. In fairness no one can sing this song except Mr. Yorke, but while most people merely spit in its face, when I sing it, it is the equivalent to running someone over with a large truck and then reversing over the remains. Several times. I am not a good singer.
Q If you could erase one band from existence, who would it be?
A Even if I don't like a band I can respect the fact that they are still contributing to the overall library of music. But Fall Out Boy, a pretty wretched band at the best of times, should be imprisoned for crimes against humanity for their cover of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart. The world would be a less traumatised place without Fall Out Boy.
Q Out of all the venues in Ireland, where's your favourite?
A Vicar St. Dublin. There's something wonderfully sophisticated about the place, yet it still retains an intimate atmosphere. Plus the lights and the sound are probably the best around, so definitely the top venue for me.
Q Tell us something about you that people don't know
A I completed piano up to grade 8, and can play bass and guitar. This is useful when people respond to negative reviews with statements such as 'what would you know you don't even play anything' and I can reply with 'actually....'